Long Beach State University Athletics
Beach Looks to Keep Win Streak Intact Against Cal Poly
1/26/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Cal Poly (10-9, 3-3 Big West) at
Long Beach State (15-5, 4-2 Big West)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 30
Time: 4 p.m. (PST)
Location: Walter Pyramid (4,200) - Long Beach, Calif.
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Game Notes: Long Beach State 
| Cal Poly
The Long Beach State women's basketball team looks to extend its three-game win streak when it plays host to Cal Poly on Saturday, Jan. 30. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. at the Walter Pyramid.
QUICK HITS
• Long Beach State is on a three-game win streak and has come out on top in four of its last five outings.
• The Beach leads the Big West in overall wins (15) and is now tied for second in the conference at 4-2.
• LBSU picked up its fifth-straight road victory with a 75-62 triumph at UC Davis on Thursday.
• Anna Kim, Gigi Hascheff and Jewelyn Sawyer led the way against the Aggies, combining for 50 points (10-of-13 3FG).
• The 49ers and Cal Poly have gone to OT in each of their last two meetings at the Walter Pyramid.
• The Beach ranks first in the Big West and 17th in the country in turnovers forced per game (20.9).
• Long Beach State has held 11 of its 20 opponents to 60 points or fewer, and five to under 50.
• LBSU made a program and Big West record 20 3-pointers at Cal State Fullerton on Jan. 9.
• Raven Benton is 82 points shy of becoming the third player in the Jody Wynn era to reach the 1,000 milestone.
• Benton has made 16 consecutive free throws and now ranks seventh in school history with 295 career FTs.
LAST TIME OUT
Long Beach State put together a solid 40 minutes as it defeated UC Davis, 75-62, Thursday evening at The Pavilion. It was the 49ers' fifth-straight road win, but their first victory in Davis since 2009.
LBSU shot 44.1 percent from the field and a season-best 57.9 percent from long distance. They forced 21 turnovers, which resulted in 26 points, while committing only nine miscues of their own. They also finished with 18 assists and 12 steals.
Junior Anna Kim led the Beach with a season-high 18 points. She was 6-of-11 from the field and 4-for-5 from 3-point range. Junior Jewelyn Sawyer added 16 points (6-of-10) and a team-high five rebounds, while sophomore Gigi Hascheff also netted a season-best 16 points. Hascheff was 5-of-8 and 4-of-5 from behind the arc. Junior Raven Benton just missed a double-double with eight points and a career-high nine assists.
A GLANCE AT CAL POLY
Cal Poly (10-9, 3-3 Big West) suffered its second-straight loss with a 93-83 defeat at UC Riverside on Thursday. Junior Hannah Gilbert has paced the Mustangs with 13.3 points and a conference-best 9.7 rebounds per game. Senior Beth Balbierz has also made a team-high 42 3-pointers and is averaging 11.9 points per contest.
SERIES RECORD
The Beach leads in its all-time series with Cal Poly, 41-19, and has won five of the last seven. In 2015, LBSU topped the Mustangs, 85-74, on the road, before falling at home, 58-57 (OT). The 49ers own a 21-7 home record against Cal Poly, but CP has emerged with an overtime victory in each of the last two meetings at the Walter Pyramid.
BEACH FOR THREE
Long Beach State is tied for first in the Big West with 133 3-pointers made (6.7/game). Every 49er has connected from long distance and seven have hit at least 10 triples, including Raven Benton (23), Jessica Gertz (22), Anna Kim (18), Chanterria Jackson (17), Jewelyn Sawyer (14), Gigi Hascheff (13) and Madison Montgomery (10).
The 49ers went off for a Big West-record 20 3-pointers at Cal State Fullerton on Jan. 9. Their 20 threes also shattered the previous program record of 13, which the Beach established earlier this year vs. Portland State (Nov. 15). Nine of LBSU's 11 players drained a shot from behind the arc with seven making multiple treys against the Titans.
CHASING 1,000
In her two-plus years at the Beach, junior Raven Benton has compiled 918 career points. Benton, who is averaging a team-best 12.6 points per game, is on pace to reach the 1,000-point milestone this year. If she gets to the benchmark by the end of the 2015-16 campaign, she will be the third 49er to do so in the last two seasons and the first to accomplish the feat in her third year at LBSU since Crystal McCutcheon (2006).
Benton has reached double digits in scoring 13 times this season. She netted a career-high 31 points in a non-conference win over UNLV on Dec. 20. That was the first 30-point performance by a 49er in five years. She also finished with 23 vs. Hawai'i and 22 against Cal State Fullerton, marking her eighth and ninth career 20-plus point games.
SHE CAN DISH IT TOO
Benton has been the leading scorer in each of her first two years at Long Beach State, but this season she is also tops on the team with 60 assists (3.0 apg). She has bettered her previous single-season best of 35, which she established as a sophomore. Benton has dished out at least three helpers 12 times, including a career-high nine in a 75-62 win at UC Davis.
JEWELYN SHINES
Junior Jewelyn Sawyer has emerged as one of Long Beach State's top players in 2015-16. Sawyer has reached double figures in scoring 13 times and has accounted for three of LBSU's four double-doubles. She has registered 10.7 points and a team-best 6.8 rebounds per game, marking a significant improvement from last year when she averaged 2.4 points and 3.6 rebounds.
Sawyer started the campaign by netting a career-high 20 points against San Diego State. She was the first 49er to hit 20 in a season opener since Karina Figueroa (23) and Lauren Sims (20) both accomplished the feat in 2009. The Paramount, Calif., native later matched her career best with 20 points at USC, while also finishing with 16 points at Seattle and UC Davis. Sawyer added a career-high 11 rebounds at Houston, and ranks third on the team with 1.7 assists per outing. She has dished out at least one helper in 17 of 20 games.
PROTECT THE PYRAMID
LBSU has been tough to beat at home in recent years. Since the start of the 2011-12 campaign, the Beach boasts a 51-22 (.699) record at the Walter Pyramid. The 49ers, who have posted at least 10 wins on their home court in each of the last four years, are currently 6-3 in the `Mid. They recently lost two-straight home games for only the third time in three seasons.
WYNN WINS
Seventh-year head coach Jody Wynn (105-104) became the fourth coach in program history to join the century club with her 100th career victory coming at Denver on Dec. 28. The past three-plus seasons have been especially productive for Wynn and the 49ers as they have won 70 games and made two WNIT appearances. Wynn is also one of four LBSU head coaches with a career record over .500.
UP NEXT
Long Beach State has one game next week as it plays host to CSUN at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 4
